Chapter Eight – Almost, But Not Quite
Carolyn stares out the window of the Carriage House, watching snowflakes drift by and pile up on the ground outside. Collinwood hasn't really had a snowstorm in many years, and Carolyn is in the process of remembering playing in the snow when Jeb comes in from the kitchen carrying two mugs of warm milk.
He taps on her shoulder. She turns around, smiles at the mugs, and says, "Thank you," as she takes the one filled to the top.
"I was saving that for me, you know," Jeb smirks. He places an arm around her waist as she sips the milk. She leans against him, reveling in the dairy goodness. He looks at her awe-inspiring beauty, and places a solitary hand over her stomach, which had grown considerably. Carolyn is now eight months pregnant, and Jeb has been counting down every day until the day his child will be born. A sudden force against his hand causes him to think of the here and now. Carolyn looks up at her husband's shocked countenance and begins to giggle. "What was that?" he asks in a spooked voice.
"Darling, it's just the baby!" she laughed.
"The baby?" he asked, alarmed.
"Yes, they do kick, you know," she says, a mirthful smirk still present on her face. Jeb places his hand over his unborn child again, and feels the same reaction. "See? There it goes again," Carolyn smiles.
Jeb smiles in amazement as he kneels down and places an ear over his wife's belly, as if he could hear the baby before it kicks. "Honey – it's amazing!"
"I know," Carolyn says in a serious voice. She takes another sip of her milk, and the baby kicks again. Carolyn laughs silently at her husband's amazed smile. "Jeb, we should really think of a name for that child."
Still entranced by the baby, Jeb says, "Well, what do you want to name it?"
Carolyn stares at the ceiling in thought. "If it's a boy, I want to name him Judah Adam Hawkes. If it's a girl . . . Minerva Margaret Hawkes."
Jeb stands at full height. "Minerva Margaret?" Jeb laughs. "You want to name our little girl Minerva Margaret?"
"What's wrong with it?" Carolyn asks defensively.
"Nothing," Jeb smiles, "I just hope it's a boy."
Carolyn playfully swats his arm. "What's your choice, then?"
Jeb mocks Carolyn's thinking posture. "Hmm, I've always liked the name Eve," Jeb says in a high-pitched voice as he tries to mimic Carolyn, "So I think I'll name my daughter Eve Magda Hawkes."
Carolyn stands with her hands on her hips, glaring at her husband as he laughs raucously. "Fine," she says defensively.
Jeb stares at her. "Fine?" he asks incredulously.
"Fine," she says again, her chin tilted. "If you want our daughter to live her life as Eve Magda, then that's what I'll name her."
Jeb shakes his head. "Honey, I was just joking. Let's name her Eve Margaret. How about that?"
Carolyn's façade crumbles as she smiles. "I like that." Her smile quickly fades as she grabs her abdominal region. "Jeb!" she gasps. "Jeb, I think I'm having the baby!"
The nurse wipes away the sweat that beads around Carolyn's brow as she pushes for her life to give birth to this baby. Her mother had told her once what it would like, but never in her life did Carolyn ever think it would be this painful. She screams as she feels the pain of another contraction. Jeb is by her side, holding her hand as opposed to her clenching his with a terrible death-grip. In a calm, soothing voice, Jeb says, "Come on, Carolyn. It's almost time."
In between pushes, Carolyn finds the breath to talk to her husband. "How long have I been here? It feels like hours!"
Nervously, Jeb says, "It's been twelve hours, honey." Seeing the look on her face, he hastily adds, "But don't worry; it'll be over soon."
Just then, the doctor yells, "Mrs. Hawkes, the baby is crowning! Just a couple more pushes, and it will all be over!"
Carolyn gives three more pushes, and feels the relief instantly as her child emerges from her. Her body goes limp as Jeb goes over to the doctor, and peeks at his baby over the doctor's shoulders. Affirming the gender, he rushes back to the side of his wife, and enthusiastically blurts out, "Carolyn, it's a girl! We have a baby girl!"
Carolyn smiles tiredly. "I guess she must have heard us talking about her," Carolyn whispers contentedly, "When can I hold her?"
Jeb looks up to see the doctor whisking the baby away to another room. Confused, Jeb asks the nurse, "Where's he taking her?"
"The baby has a higher-than-normal amount of jaundice in her blood," the nurse says matter-of-factly, "She has to be placed under special lights to help her body rid the compound responsible."
Carolyn and Jeb look at each other worriedly. "Will she be all right?" Jeb asks.
The nurse smiles kindly. "Of course. This condition is very common for premature babies. Your little girl will only be in treatment for a week."
"So I can't hold her before then?" Carolyn asks disappointedly.
"No," the nurse says slowly, "But you can look at her through the window in the nursery. But first, you have to recover, Mrs. Hawkes."
"So, when can she see her?" Jeb asks.
"In a day or two," the nurse replies as she leaves the hospital room.
Carolyn and Jeb look at each other, misty-eyed, before she leans her head on his shoulder. Jeb lets her lay there until she finally succumbs to the exhaustion and falls asleep.
